NFL: Tom Brady's top 5 games as a Buccaneer
Longtime New England Patriots' quarterback Tom Brady shocked the sports world when he chose to sign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in March of 2020, ending his 20-year run with the Patriots.
Many fans believed he would stay with the Patriots and head coach Bill Belichick would get Brady some help, but he had other plans. He joined a team that was both stacked offensively and defensively, having one of the best receiving cores he has had in a very long time.
Consisting of Mike Evan, Chris Godwin, Antonio Brown and Rob Gronkowski, it seemed as if he would be unstoppable. But it seemed like the team was having first-year woes, as the Buccaneers currently stand at 9-5 in the league and are second place in the NFC South.
On Sunday, Brady led the Buccaneers to a 31-27 comeback victory over the Atlanta Falcons -- bringing back memories of his famous Super Bowl comeback against the Falcons a few years ago.
Brady has still shown us the age is just a number and still has plenty left in his tank. Here are Brady's five best games as a Buccaneer prior to the Falcons game.
5. Week 3 at Denver Broncos
Unfortunately, Brady did not have a decent game until Week 3 of the 2020 season. But he certainly took advantage of the depleted Denver Broncos' defense, as Brady completed 25 of 38 passes for 297 yards and 3 touchdowns for a total rating of 115.8.
With his top receiver Mike Evans shut down for most of the game, Evans was utilized in the end zone twice by Brady, throwing 1-yard touchdown passes to him.
4. Week 4 vs. Los Angeles Chargers
While at the beginning of the game against the Chargers, it seemed like rookie Justin Herbert and his offense were going to take the Buccaneers to the ground through the first-half of the game, but then Brady and company came back in the second-half to take them down 38-31.
Brady completed 30 of 46 passes for 369 yards with five touchdowns and an interception. Had Brady not thrown that interception pass, he could have had one of the highest single-game QBR ratings he has had since 2010, when Brady had a 158.3 rating against the Detroit Lions. Nonetheless, he had a rating of 117.0 against the Chargers that day.
3. Week 14 vs. Minnesota Vikings
A very recent game of Brady brings it to the spotlight in the top 5 list. Against Kirk Cousins and the Minnesota Vikings in Week 14, Brady had worked lightly but efficiently against the Vikings.
Brady completed just 15 of 23 passes for only 196 yards and two touchdowns. But it was enough for a 26-14 win over the Vikings, a much-needed win for the Buccaneers to possibly have a decent position in the postseason.
2. Week 10 at Carolina Panthers
Now with the Carolina Panthers being one of his division rivals, he will certainly try and be as explosive against them and the Atlanta Falcons. But recently in Week 10, he led a lot of steam off against the Panthers, as in the previous week the Buccaneers were demolished by the New Orleans Saints 38-3.
Brady had 28 completed passes for 341 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions for a total QBR of 124. He also threw a pass to Mike Evans, which became his 500th catch as a receiver.
1. Week 7 at Las Vegas Raiders
Unfortunately, Brady's best performance in a game doesn't occur against one of the best teams in the league. But it's still worth noting, considering the Raiders have been a rather inconsistent team since the start of the league. Brady helped the Buccaneers defeat the Raiders 45-20 in their first visit to the new Allegiant Stadium.
Not only did Brady have four touchdown passes against the Raiders, but he also became the all-time leader in passing TDs with his fourth passing touchdown of the day. With a total QBR of 127 against the Raiders, he certainly showed the league how much fuel he still has left.